This article does not really make it clear (the linked one is much better, and does), but the food drive is not actually soliciting customers. It's for employees to donate food to other employees. Which is a little less bad, but still won't play very well.

Also, I wonder which response is more likely from Wal-Mart if this really causes a viral internet outrage:

1) Gosh, wow, people are right. We thought we were being compassionate in facilitating an area for our employees to donate food to their needier co-workers, but now we understand that the very fact we needed to do this indicates that we're not paying the people we depend on to keep our stores operating enough money to survive. We get it now, we've been exploiting the poor for entirely too long and underwriting our workforce with the sort of social safety net programs that our political arm actually rails against to score anti-regulation and anti-taxation points. Thank you for holding up this mirror for us to see ourselves and for giving us the opportunity to change.2) Attention Wal-Mart employees: Due to recent unfavorable media coverage, any employees found bringing outside items into a store for the purposes of donation to another employee will be terminated immediately.

Pocket Ninja:This article does not really make it clear (the linked one is much better, and does), but the food drive is not actually soliciting customers. It's for employees to donate food to other employees. Which is a little less bad, but still won't play very well.

BunkoSquad:They're actually asking employees to donate food to each other (more complete story). Wal-Mart surely doesn't want the customers to get the idea that the staff is underpaid and desperate.

I'm more concerned with the idea that any Wal-Mart would have enough employees who are so poor as to need help that they have to have an organized food drive for them. No matter who they are asking to contribute. I can see, "Oh, Jane's a part-time employee whose husband lost his job, let's help her out" happening, and that's laudable. But this says to me that there are enough employees to need an organized program to help them.

Pocket Ninja:This article does not really make it clear (the linked one is much better, and does), but the food drive is not actually soliciting customers. It's for employees to donate food to other employees. Which is a little less bad, but still won't play very well.

Why? What if someone's family just lost the other paycheck? What if they just had triplets? What if someone was in a car wreak and couldn't work the hours?

There are many reason why someone would need help other than "haha Wal-Mart doesn't pay"

Which is a totally valid point that does not in any way diminish the fact that Walmart pays their employees far too little to the point where many are forced to rely on charity or government assistance just to make ends meet.

/also depresses the market wage which screws over other wage earners too.

The Stealth Hippopotamus:Why? What if someone's family just lost the other paycheck? What if they just had triplets? What if someone was in a car wreak and couldn't work the hours?

There are many reason why someone would need help other than "haha Wal-Mart doesn't pay"

Oh, I agree, there's plenty of good reasons for Wal-Mart to do this. And, actually, lots of companies do things like this around the holidays.

But when you set this alongside the well-established issues around worker compensation and Wal-Mart, and frame it with the short-on-details article that actually got greenlit, you'd have to be blind to not see how this has the potential to play very, very badly from a media relations perspective.

Benevolent Misanthrope:I'm more concerned with the idea that any Wal-Mart would have enough employees who are so poor as to need help that they have to have an organized food drive for them. No matter who they are asking to contribute. I can see, "Oh, Jane's a part-time employee whose husband lost his job, let's help her out" happening, and that's laudable. But this says to me that there are enough employees to need an organized program to help them.

That's just wrong.

It's a really really big store. A whip-around to help just one person would be really inefficient. You have anywhere from 375 to 450 people working there. And frankly some people don't like you to know they are needy. Just collect the food and let people take what they need. No need to call them out on it.

Voiceofreason01:Which is a totally valid point that does not in any way diminish the fact that Walmart pays their employees far too little to the point where many are forced to rely on charity or government assistance just to make ends meet.

So you believe this, so they shouldn't help people out because it would look bad?! Why not applaud this locale store for doing something right?

The Stealth Hippopotamus:Voiceofreason01: Which is a totally valid point that does not in any way diminish the fact that Walmart pays their employees far too little to the point where many are forced to rely on charity or government assistance just to make ends meet.

So you believe this, so they shouldn't help people out because it would look bad?! Why not applaud this locale store for doing something right?

I think it's fine that they are organizing a food drive. I also think they should not be allowed to exploit their employees the way they do.

A company spokesman defended the food drive, telling the Plain Dealer that it is evidence that employees care about each other."This store has been doing this for several years and is for associates that have faced an extreme hardship recently," spokesman Kory Lundberg told us.Lundberg says an example of this would be a recent layoff in the family or some other financial hardship.

Fark It:A company spokesman defended the food drive, telling the Plain Dealer that it is evidence that employees care about each other."This store has been doing this for several years and is for associates that have faced an extreme hardship recently," spokesman Kory Lundberg told us.Lundberg says an example of this would be a recent layoff in the family or some other financial hardship.

Like working for WalMart?

getting their hours cut down to part time so that Walmart doesn't have to offer them health insurance, maybe?

I can't wait to see one of the Walton kids be flown to this store in their Sikorsky S-76C, land in the parking lot, have a Maybach take them from the chopper to the front door, get out of the car with a single expired can of pumpkin mix...and throw it at the manager who came up with this idea before firing him.

Mr. Coffee Nerves:I can't wait to see one of the Walton kids be flown to this store in their Sikorsky S-76C, land in the parking lot, have a Maybach take them from the chopper to the front door, get out of the car with a single expired can of pumpkin mix...and throw it at the manager who came up with this idea before firing him.

Sam's Choice brand, of course. and it was probably pulled from the Grocery department return cart, which has been sitting behind the customer service desk all day with now spoiled milk and meat products in it.

Voiceofreason01:Fark It: A company spokesman defended the food drive, telling the Plain Dealer that it is evidence that employees care about each other."This store has been doing this for several years and is for associates that have faced an extreme hardship recently," spokesman Kory Lundberg told us.Lundberg says an example of this would be a recent layoff in the family or some other financial hardship.

Like working for WalMart?

getting their hours cut down to part time so that Walmart doesn't have to offer them health insurance, maybe?

I get the feeling that no matter the answer, it's all the government's fault

Voiceofreason01:Fark It: A company spokesman defended the food drive, telling the Plain Dealer that it is evidence that employees care about each other."This store has been doing this for several years and is for associates that have faced an extreme hardship recently," spokesman Kory Lundberg told us.Lundberg says an example of this would be a recent layoff in the family or some other financial hardship.

Like working for WalMart?

getting their hours cut down to part time so that Walmart doesn't have to offer them health insurance, maybe?

Most of their employees have been held to part-time hours for decades. Any time you see them brag about the average wage of a full-time Walmart employee, know that they are purposely removing 80-90% of their workforce from that average by not including the part-time workers.

Mr. Coffee Nerves:I can't wait to see one of the Walton kids be flown to this store in their Sikorsky S-76C, land in the parking lot, have a Maybach take them from the chopper to the front door, get out of the car with a single expired can of pumpkin mix...and throw it at the manager who came up with this idea before firing him.

This is old news. I worked for Wal Mart for many years as a Personnel Manager, and we used to do a "Secret Santa" tree every year for our employees who needed help with food and toys for their family every Holiday Season. Although I enjoyed the feeling of giving to people (especially kids) in need, I did think it was strange that we were giving to families who actually WORKED for the company. One of the many reasons I ended up leaving the company after almost 10 Years. I just couldn't support the hypocrisy anymore.